Lost In Time
by haveyouseenmyhaggis
Summary: Split up and spread out through time, the team struggle to unravel the mysteries that brought them there. And why is Ianto trapped in a place he can't escape from? Some dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Lost In Time**

**Summary: The team are split up as they slip through the Rift. Why are they all in completely new places fitting exactly into someone else's life? More importantly, can they get home? **

**Author's Note: This was mainly designed so I can revise for my History Prelim on the 19****th**** January. I just thought if I upload a story where the team are in situations I'm meant to be studying, I'll learn by making my story realistic. Sorted! For the record, I'm studying Standard Grade History. The topics I need to revise for the Prelim are "Scotland from 1880-Present Day" and also "World War One". The third one I'm doing for my final exam in May is "Germany". I hope you enjoy this fiction! And maybe you might find it useful if you're studying too! All reviews will be much appreciated. Flamers will be laughed at. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Torchwood. **_

* * *

"I reckon it's down here somewhere, Jack," Ianto said, his voice low and cautious as he walked slowly along the dark corridor. The dim light from his flashlight lit a small path in front of him and he kept his gun loaded and aimed in front of him as he shuffled forwards. He could hear the dripping of water and occasionally a droplet would land on his head, making him jump.

"Just be careful, Ianto. Any sign of danger get yourself out of there. I'm not having you fighting whatever's down there on your own," Jack replied slowly. He was sitting in the SUV outside the empty school with a window open on a laptop tracking Ianto's progress. The wire system the other man was wearing had a camera so Jack could see everything he saw. It made the Captain feel only slightly better about letting him go alone but Ianto had insisted. After all, someone would need to wait for Owen, Gwen and Tosh to arrive on the scene.

There'd been reported Rift spikes all across Cardiff and Jack had split the team to investigate in groups. He and Ianto were exploring an old tunnel concealed beneath a local primary school while the other three were checking out a stream in a park. There was no evident connection between any of the locations so they didn't have much to go on.

"Jack, can you see that?" Ianto asked, suddenly urgent. Jack squinted at the laptop screen anxiously. All he could see was Ianto standing in the dim light of his flashlight. There was nothing else apart from blank walls and puddles on the floor.

"See what?" the Captain wanted to know.

"That!" Ianto said as he pointed up to the ceiling on his left. There was a look of clear confusion on the young Welshman's face as he watched whatever it was he could see.

"Ianto, I still can't see it!" Jack said, worry for his employee and irritation rising in his voice He tapped a button on the keyboard and zoomed in the camera view rapidly. He frowned slightly as he tried to see whatever it was that Ianto was seeing.

"Jack, I'm coming back. I think-."

But Jack never got to hear what Ianto thought. All he could see was blinding light and all he could hear was a faint buzzing noise. He shouted for Ianto and scrambled around trying to find something to hold on to. There was nothing to catch. He was just falling. He was spinning in a vast expanse of white nothingness. His main thought was for Ianto. Was he okay? What had happened? Was he hurt? He shouted but his voice sounded muffled, as though he had a really heavy cold. He tried to move his arms, move his legs but he couldn't. He was trapped in a silent, now motionless nothing. It was then he began to feel frightened.

Owen found himself holding his breath, wide-eyed with apprehension. He tried to move his neck. He snarled in annoyance when he realised he couldn't. All he could see was the bright white light and it was beginning to hurt his eyes. He shut them tightly but the light was in his mind. The brightness was invading every inch of him and it felt like it was burning.

Tosh screamed in fear. She tried shouting for Owen but her voice was strangled. He had been right beside her! They'd been standing beside a little stream talking about how everything seemed normal despite the Rift readings that were off the scale. Then everything had suddenly gone a blinding white. It was everywhere. She couldn't hear Gwen whistling quietly to herself anymore. The other woman had been walking back from putting disposable coffee cups into the bin and whistling a tune on the way. There was only silence then.

* * *

"Doctor Harper?" came a voice from the silence. Owen struggled to open his eyes and blinked in confusion. "Doctor Harper!" the voice insisted and someone touched his shoulder gently.

"Huh?" Owen mumbled. Who _actually_ called him Doctor Harper? Everyone he knew just called him Owen. He rubbed his eyes slowly, realising that he could move again. The light was gone.

"Doctor, there's been another request for a house visit!" a young man of about twenty-four said urgently. He had a mop of dark hair and sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes were sparkling with anxiety and excitement. He looked just like a typical junior doctor willing to start doing the proper work.

"What?" Owen asked blankly. He didn't have a clue what the man was on about. He sat up slowly realising he was lying on an old battered sofa.

"Doctor, are you alright?" the young man asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Fine. Just one thing though, where the hell am I?" Owen asked struggling to be polite. He was confused and ever so slightly scared.

"The hospital, Doctor Harper," the boy said evidently puzzled by Owen's question.

"Cardiff?" Owen questioned uncertainly. He had a horrible feeling that this was not Cardiff anymore.

The young man frowned, "No. Doctor, we're in Glasgow."

"What? When?"

"What d'you mean, Doctor?" he asked as he watched Owen with concern in his eyes.

Owen sighed impatiently, "I mean what date is it? What year?" He looked around at the room he was in. There was an old wooden desk sitting in the corner and it was covered in leaves of paper and documents in hard cardboard folders. A little oil lamp sat beside an ink pen with a nib and Owen guessed this was no longer the twenty-first century. The young man's clothes were distinctly old-fashioned.

"November 3rd 1913, Doctor Harper," the man said slowly.

"Oh, crap," Owen muttered under his breath, "This is gonna take some explaining."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed! It really means a lot and makes me more inclined to revise for my exams and actually have fun doing so! Thank you all so much!**

* * *

The first thing he was aware of was the cold and the wet. He was lying on his back with the left side in a puddle. He groaned and slowly tried to open his eyes. It wasn't as hard as he'd expected but the blurred quality to everything made his head hurt so he shut them again.

"Captain Harkness!" came a shout from beside him, "C'mon sir, they're coming!" The voice was frightened and insistent. Jack didn't recognise it. It was a male voice so ruling out Tosh and Gwen. He didn't even recognise the accent so it wasn't Owen or Ianto. And besides, they didn't call him "Captain Harkness". Suddenly, Jack felt someone take his shoulders and shake him before trying to tug him to his feet.

"What?" Jack muttered stupidly. He opened his eyes and for a moment everything as blurred again but he knew there was something more than bright light around him. The light was gone now.

Then he became aware of the explosions somewhere behind him. The person beside him was quick to act. He seemed to have given up trying to coax Jack into movement and attempted to drag him along. There were potholes everywhere and every second step saw then stumbling in pools of mud threatening to suck them in.

The Captain blundered along without really knowing where he was or what was going on. All he could guess at was that he was in some sort of war zone. He was grateful to the young man beside him holding his arm. He was running blindly unsure where he could put his feet but not having time to look or think. He was all too aware of the explosions that were far too close to them.

Then the ground disappeared from beneath him and he fell. So did the other man. He hit the ground with a squelching thud. He lay still for a moment, unsure what to do. He was aware of the ridiculous amount of water and mud on the floor, soaking through into his cloths so he struggled to his feet and looked around at the small crowd of faces gathering. Jack noticed that they were all wearing uniforms typical to the British army in World War One.

Someone pressed a flask into Jack's hand and unscrewed the cap. Jack smiled gratefully and brought it to his lips. The sharp taste of the alcohol brought him to his senses immediately. He gasped slightly and handed the flask back to the man it had come from. "Thanks."

"You alright, Captain?" asked a young man anxiously. He had dark hair and a heavy English accent. He couldn't be any older than sixteen. This was someone who'd clearly lied to get into the army. Silly boy, Jack thought forlornly.

"What happened?" Jack asked eventually. He wasn't sure how he'd ended up in the middle of a battlefield. The fact that he couldn't see Ianto in the faces amongst him was worrying. Was he alright?

"We went over the top, Captain. They started shelling us," one man explained, a slightly traumatised look in his pale eyes.

"Yeah, you told us to retreat and then you was knocked down by a blast," another added, "Timothy went back to get you when the shelling died down a bit."

"Thanks," Jack said dazedly, "How long was I out? What's the date?"

"Still nineteenth August, 1916. You could only have been out ten minutes or so, Captain," the man supposedly called Timothy said. Jack was grateful the man had told him the year. Saved him asking and looking stupid, or worse, like his head was scrambled after the shock of the shells.

"Can we just say, Captain, we're glad you're alright. We were worried you'd end up another casualty of the Somme…" one of the other men said with a small smile as he clapped Jack on the shoulder.

The Somme; one of the biggest offensives of the First World War and also one of the most disastrous. By the end of the four and half years of fighting, thousands were dead. Nineteen thousand or so were killed in just the first day in what became the bloodiest day the British army ever experienced.

Jack sighed. How'd he gotten in to this mess? Why did everyone seem to know him and just accept him even if he wasn't even wearing the same _uniform _as them? He guessed it was something to do with the Rift. His first priority had to be to find the rest of his team.

* * *

Ianto was acutely aware of the pain all the way through his body. It was everywhere, like a fire burning inside him. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. Everything felt claustrophobic and tight. He didn't know where he was. He couldn't hear Jack's voice on the headset anymore. He was lost.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Many thanks all reviewers! And Lazy Oobles, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who revises using stories! Thanks for your reviews!**

* * *

"C'mon Gwen!" came a voice quite cheerfully from beside her. The feeling was only just beginning to fill up her body again and she blinked. She could make out the blurred outline of a person kneeling beside her.

"Huh?" Gwen muttered drowsily. She struggled to sit up and rubbed her eyes.

"You fell asleep!" said the woman beside her with a small smile, "Tired?"

"Yeah, a little," Gwen said confused. The woman beside her had long dark brown hair tied back with a dainty red ribbon. They were sitting on a bench in a small park. Children were running around laughing and joking together. Gwen stared. Where the hell was she? She was clearly not in the little park in Cardiff. She'd been standing beside a little stream and that was gone now too. As had Owen and Tosh. She frowned slightly and looked at the woman beside her.

"Ready to go home?" the woman said getting ready to stand up.

"What?"

"Gwen, are you alright?"

"I… I feel a bit sick to be honest," she admitted, rubbing her temples weakly.

"Well, I'll walk you home, right?"

"Okay," Gwen said slowly. She'd have to find a way to work this out herself. She was pretty sure that if she started asking about the date and how she got there. She'd find a newspaper or something. She just had to have some time to work everything out in her head.

"How things have changed, huh?" the other woman said with a faraway look in her eyes. Gwen didn't say anything. For her, things had changed more than the woman would believe. She looked at Gwen sadly, "When d'you think this'll be over? When d'you think the fighting will stop?"

"I… Soon," Gwen said smiling warmly. Sure, she didn't know this woman but she obviously thought she did. They seemed to be friends already. Maybe this was a case of swapped existence. Maybe someone else was back in Cardiff living her life? God help the poor sod who had to try and deal with Torchwood after living back in this time, Gwen thought.

"You think? I want my man home again. I just want Fredrick to hold me in his arms…. Oh Gwen, I want him to say, "Clara, honey, I missed you." I miss him Gwen. I really miss him," the woman, Clara evidently, said with her eyes glistening with unshed tears.  
"I know," Gwen said, awkwardly putting an arm around Clara, "But he'll be home soon."

"What about Rhys? Don't you miss him too?" Clara whispered, wide-eyed.

She hadn't been expecting that. Rhys was here too? And she was with him? And he wasn't there? Gwen's heart sank and then she remembered to answer Clara's question, "Yeah… Yeah, I miss him so much," she said eventually. What if she was trapped in this place and never saw _her _Rhys again? What would happen then? What if she couldn't get home?

They were walking slowly up a road lined with little houses. The town was filled with woman going around, coming home from work or hurrying into shops. There were posters on the walls of nearly every building proclaiming, "Your country needs YOU!" and "Isn't this worth fighting for? Enlist now!" Gwen frowned. These were wartime posters. They were used in World War One to try and convince men to sign up to the army and go fighting in France. So she was stuck in World War One? Could things _get _any worse?

They reached the end of a street and then Clara turned to open a small wooden gate. Gwen stopped. This must be "her" house then. This was where she lived apparently. It was a nice little house. It was small and but comforting. Clara led Gwen up the path and waited patiently. Gwen looked blank. Then she remembered, she'd need a key to get into the house. She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out her set of keys. Her car keys and Cardiff key ring were still there. She sighed. This would never work. It was worth a try anyway. She fumbled for her house key and put it in the lock.

Much to her surprise, it clicked it open without a protest. This was just a little too weird. She turned round to Clara and smiled, hoping she was covering up her confusion. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, I'll come round for you tomorrow morning for work," Clara said smiling, "Hope you feel better soon." And with that, she turned and began to walk down the path street again looking utterly miserable about her situation. She must really love this Frederick.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Glad you're all enjoying this! Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Toshiko cried out as she was suddenly dragged to her feet and shaken violently. Her vison blurred and her mind was spinning. She gasped and tried to figure out what was going on.

"You stupid woman!" came a low, hoarse growl from the person holding her shoulders.

"What...?" Tosh blinked anxiously. Slowly the world stopped moving and she could see clearly again. There was a man. Not Jack. Not Ianto. Not Owen either. She didn't know who he was. He was slightly taller than her and his eyes were slightly out of focus. His hair was dark and matted slightly. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and it made her gag slightly.

"Oh, don't bother looking so innocent with me," he growled.

She stared at him, "What? I don't understand!"

"Haven't you got something to be doing? You're at home all day for a reason! You're meant to be doing the damn work!" he snarled icily at her. Tosh looked around helplessly. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't even know where she was. The room she was standing in was old-fashioned. The curtains were shabby, as was the wallpaper. There was a wooden table nearby, surrounded with four wooden chairs.

"What...?" Tosh whispered again.

"Oh get a grip," the man snarled furiously casting her aside. She blinked and tried not to cry as her shoulder collided painfully with the wall, "Where's my dinner?"

"What?" Tosh muttered, completely unsure of what was going on. Who _was _this man and what gave him the right to throw her around? Just then, the door opened and a young boy bounced in. His face was slightly flushed, as though he'd been running. He looked around the room, taking in the situation with big, eager blue eyes. He was nearly the exact double of the man beside her.

"Mummy, you okay?" he asked suddenly noticing her clutching her shoulder and leaning on the wall. The man snarled and the little boy flinched slightly. Tosh stared between then in disbelief. This boy clearly thought she was his mother! What should she say to him? He seemed to genuinely believe it and he was actually concerned about her.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said eventually, deciding it was best just to play along with whatever was going on there. She didn't really have much other choice until she figured out what was going on. She remembered her training when she'd first joined Torchwood. She'd have to stay calm and try and figure this out. Creating a fuss would only get her more noticed and she'd end up in more trouble. She just needed a chance to phone Jack and see if he knew anything.

"That's good," the boy said. Next thing she knew, he had his arms around her legs and was hugging her with a impish grin on his face, "Lenny and me found a den today!" Then he was telling her all about his new "den" in the bushes at the park. She nodded and smiled and just pretended she did this every day. The man never took his eyes off of her and it made her uncomfortable. She made her way to little kitchen area and noticed that there was already a pot of water sitting with potatoes on the stove. A chunk of meat lay on a shabby wooden chopping board. Someone had clearly started preparing food. Who had it been? She certainly hadn't done it.

"Toby, go get your brothers," the man demanded suddenly. The little boy nodded and hurried towards the door and ran out quickly to do as he was told. Tosh felt a strange sense of panic rise inside her. She was pretty sure the boy was the only reason why the man hadn't been giving her more hastle. She just tried her best to carry on preparing the dinner and ignore him. This just seemed to anger him more. "You should have had dinner done ages ago," he muttered darkly, the alcohol slurring his words.

"Sorry," she said softly, "I wasn't feeling well."

"And I'm meant to believe that?" he sneered. There was an edge of bitter resentment in his voice and it made her shudder slightly.

"Woman should know their place," he said moodily, "Next thing I know,you'll be signing up to those damn Suffragettes. You're my wife. Not a silly girl who wants to make a fool of herself and cause problems in society."

Tosh just stayed silent, to fearful for what might happen next. She didn't want to tell him that she thought the Suffragettes were completely right in their mission to try and win the vote. Woman deserved equality. And somehow, she'd ended up in a time where most men didn't believe that. She was clearly going to have to do a lot of work to try and get out of this situation. If only she could have a moment or two to call Jack. Surely if Gwen and Owen had seen her disappear, they'd be looking for her. They'd have told Jack what they knew and everything would be okay. She just had to keep telling herself that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Oh dear. The exam is on Monday. **

* * *

Pain. It was everywhere and all-consuming. He tried to hide from it by attempting to forget what was going on. He tried so hard to ignore the burning sensation in his body and just breathe. He kept his eyes shut and breathed in. Then his breath stopped as though there was an invisible barrier restricting his breathing. He struggled to pull the air in but it just made his head pound. He held his breath as long as he could before breathing out again. He attempted breathing in again, and found that he still couldn't take in very much. Something was wrong. Everything was wrong.

"Jack!" he screamed, terrified and alone. He needed someone to hear him. Please let him hear me, Ianto thought helplessly.

* * *

Jack rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. He was sitting alone in the trench, away from the men. He needed some time to think things through. He kicked a rat away as it began snuffling around his boot and smirked as it crouched a safe distance from him, eyes glaring. Tearing his gaze from the rat, Jack slowly put his hand in his pocket and drew out his mobile phone. Maybe some stroke of luck would mean he could contact someone. Anyone. He needed to figure out what was going on and fast. He was all too aware that one of the team might have been hurt. He pressed the speed-dial for Ianto on the keypad and brought it to his ear. Biting his lip, he waited for the soft Welsh voice he knew and loved. But it never came.

"You're call cannot be connected," came the automated female voice on the line, "You're call cannot be connected. You're call cannot be connected. You're call cannot be connected. You're call cannot be con- Jack! Jack! Jack!" The voice on the line did not change but the words did. It was calling his name. It was shouting for him over and over again.

"Ianto?" Jack whispered breathlessly, "Yan, is that you?" His heart was pounding. He bit his lip as he waited anxiously for an answer to his question but nothing came. All he heard was his name being called over and over again. It made his heart ache with a terrible longing to see the team again and he had blink quickly to stop the tears from forming. He didn't cry. He was the Captain. He had to be strong for Ianto, Gwen, Owen and Tosh. He had to be strong for the soldiers he was leading here. He had to make sure they kept it together too. Falling apart could be costly. Jack had seen enough wars to know that now.

* * *

Owen hurried down the corridor after the junior doctor with a slightly dazed expression. He'd been told that someone had requested a visit in their house, saying their wife was ill. She apparently needed help urgently. The young doctor, whose name was Gordon apparently, kept prattling on about how the family were just one of hundreds that needed help.

"It'll be tuberculosis won't it, Doctor Harper?" Gordon asked, eyes wide and interested. He clearly had a thirst for knowledge and kept asking questions. He was apparently a student that was set to shadow Owen that week. He was already pissing him off. They left the hospital through a wooden door beside the reception desk. He was clutching a medical kit in one hand and trying to think about what he could come across. He'd been trained in the twenty-first century. He knew the basics of treating older diseases but mainly using modern medicines. Penicillin hadn't even been invented yet! Everything seemed so primitive in the hospital. There was no bleeping machinery. There were no x-ray machines. There wasn't anything that Owen was familiar with.

"I don't know. We'll see when we get there," Owen said briskly trotting down the road outside the hospital following the directions that Gordon had jotted on the piece of paper in his hand.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at what Gordon said was the correct address. Owen paused for a moment and looked at the building. They were standing in a street closely packed with tenement buildings. There were a few children running around outside playing skipping games and shouting loudly amidst laughter. Owen sighed and, bracing himself, opened the door. He walked slowly up the flight of stairs and paused at the door marked "four". He knocked on the door and waited. Gordon could barely stay still and Owen glared at him until he stopped jigging around. He remembered being that nervous when he was in training, following around a highly qualified (and incredibly full of himself) doctor. Funnily enough, he'd been annoyed when that doctor had told him to sit still and stop asking so many questions. Right now, however, Owen knew exactly how the man had felt. He didn't really have patience for trainees.

The door was flung open after only a few seconds. "Doctor!" came the relieved cry and Owen smiled. It was a young girl, maybe about thirteen and her eyes lit up when she saw Owen and Gordon. Her dark hair was tied back in a simple ribbon and she wore a slightly dirty apron.

"I'm Doctor Owen Harper," Owen said holding out a hand for the girl to shake. She shook it tentatively before stepping aside to let the pair in. Owen walked over the threshold looking aroud. The room was small but homely. It looked exactly like any other tenement picture he'd seen at school in History lessons.

"Gordon Thomson," Gordon introduced himself as he realised Owen wasn't going to do it for him, "I'm Doctor Harper's assistant."

The girl nodded with a anxious smile before turning back to talk to Owen, "It's Mother. She's not well. Can you help her Doctor? Father told me to ask you. He says that any fee that needs paid, he'll pay it. Just make her better." She looked so hopeful that Owen wished he could just make things better with a click of his fingers. He'd come across this problem when he'd been a doctor in Cardiff. Things couldn't be solved in the blink of an eye and there would be some degree of suffering for nearly every patient he came across.

When the girl opened the door to the only other room, a bedroom, Owen realised his fears were about to become reality. He could tell by the way the woman in the bed coughed that she had tuberculosis - a condition that was treatable in Owen's time but not here.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Had the exam today. Was horribly scary. I didn't finish General. I missed a whole two questions. Which is like, eight marks? But that shouldn't matter if I've done well in Credit. That's the one that counts for me. I finished that paper with time to spare and I think I did alright. Let's just wait and see then? Thanks so much to everyone who reviews!**

* * *

He knew he was crying but he couldn't help it. There was nothing he could do to stop the pain and it was everywhere. It was stealing his breath and he wanted nothing more than just to fade away. To not feel. To not hurt. More than that though, he wanted Jack. He wanted to know he was safe. He wanted to know he was alive and breathing and capable of feeling something other than pain. Even the pain wouldn't be so bad if Jack was there to help. Anyone. He just wanted someone to be there and hold his hand and tell him it would all be alright. Everything would be alright. It had to be.

"Help!" was all Ianto had strength to yell. Someone had to hear him. Please?

* * *

Gwen sighed as she walked through the small house anxiously. It was a nice building; it felt well kept and lived in. She looked around and saw a door leading to the kitchen. She sighed, realising she had no running water and the stove was to be heated by coal. Still, living in a place out of the city, she had plenty of space in her house. She opened another door and saw a bedroom with a double bed and nothing much else. Everything was kept to a minimum. This was going to be very different to her lifestyle in Cardiff. There were certainly no Chinese takeaways here.

Walking slowly back through to the kitchen, she noticed a letter lying on the table. She sat down on the wooden chair and picked it up and began to read. "_Dearest Gwen..." _it began. She caught her breath. This must be from Rhys. Her Rhys. No, he wasn't _her _Rhys. He was this other Gwen's Rhys. She didn't belong here. She wasn't meant to be here. She should be back in Cardiff running a scan on a stream with Owen and Tosh. She sighed and carried on reading.

_I miss you Gwen. With all my heart. You won't believe how hard it is out here in the mud when you're not with me. It's very wet and the rats are everywhere. Believe me, Gwen, they're everywhere. But the thought of you keeps me going through all of that. I just know that when I get home things will be better. I'll have done my duty to my country and we can get on with our lives. You and me. We can start a family and forget this whole tragic war. _

Gwen paused and wiped her eyes. It wasn't _her _Rhys but he wrote exactly like he did. His style of writing was identical to the love letters they'd swapped at secondary school. She smiled weakly as she remembered that day.

_I was talking to my friend Timothy in the other regiment, he's got a new captain he says. That'll be nice for him. Anyone could be better than the man they had before that. Captian Harkness or something the new guy's called I think. I'm sure Timothy will tell me all about him next time I see him. Not that that's often but still..._

Gwen did a double-take. Jack? Could it really be him? Was he stuck in the same time as her, just in France rather than Britain? Maybe she could contact him! Maybe then he'd be able to tell her something! What if she tried calling his mobile? She could maybe contact him! She pulled out her phone, alive with her idea and dialed Jack's number quickly. She waited for what seemed like an eternity while the phone rang.

"You're call cannot be connected," came the annoying woman's voice on the line and Gwen groaned in frustration. She shut her eyes for a moment but didn't hang up the call. She let herself hope Jack would still answer. "You're call cannot be connected. You're call cannot be connected. You're call cannot be connected. You're call cannot be con- Help! Help! Help! Help!"

She brought the phone away immediately and stared at it, "What?" she whispered anxiously. What was going on?

"Help! Help! Help!" called the still automated voice in a sort of tragic chant. Gwen bit her lip and hung up the phone. She was confused, frightened and now there was a strange message on the phone. She'd just have to write to Jack and hope for the best. Surely her letter would get there? She had to try anyway. What else could she do? Sighing, she cast her eyes down to Rhys's letter again.

_I hope to see you soon. I would write more now but I'm being shouted at to do something. Always something needing done around here. Think it's new duckboards this time. I love you. Please remember that. No matter how long I'm here, I love you. _

_Rhys. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Sorry, exams took up a lot of time last week. But their finished for now! I should start getting results as of Monday and I'll tell you how I got on in History. Thank you for your patience with me! **

* * *

"Are you there? Jack? Can you hear me? Please say you can here me? Please. I can't hold on much longer. I need you Jack. Please? Help me! I don't want to die here. I don't want to die on my own. Help! _Please _Jack! Help me!" Ianto screamed. That was all he could do. He didn't need to breathe anymore. He didn't need to do anything. He had no need for oxygen. He was floating aimlessly. There was nothing around him. Nothing to hold on to. He shouldn't need anything to hold on to. But he wanted it. He wanted to touch something just to feel alive again. He wanted to feel someones heart beat beside him. He wanted to hear the sound of breathing again. He wanted to feel real again.

* * *

Tosh sighed slightly as she watched "her" family eat their dinner. She apparently had a husband and four sons and a daughter. Her "husband" wasn't at the table. He was sitting in the one shabby armchair they possessed with his plate on his knee. Four of the boys were sitting around the table. The girl, she'd discovered, was a baby sleeping in the other room in a pulled out drawer in the chest of drawers. This had surprised Tosh and she felt an intense surge of pity for the family. They lived in such cramped crowded conditions when she herself was more accustomed to twenty-first century appliances and plenty of space in her house.

She felt slightly daunted and a bit lost here. None of them seemed to even notice she wasn't meant to be there. It was as though she just fitted perfectly into their lives and nothing had changed for them. Everything was carrying on as normal for them. They were oblivious of the mess she was in.

As she stood by the worktop with her plate in her hand, she picked unenthusiastically at the grizzly meat on her plate and tried to swallow what little she put in her mouth. She carefully looked around the table at the boys. The oldest, about eleven years old, was quiet and contemplative. His name was Ben and he kept casting worried glances at his father, almost like he was expecting him to say something.

Then there were the roughly eight year old twins Walter and Harry. They sat and chatted animatedly to their other brothers about a game they'd played that day. Toby occasionally put in an excited comment about how his base was supposedly better than his brothers'. Tosh smiled slightly as she watched their childish banter. They were oblivious to the confusion that was going on in their household. She bit her lip as she looked at them. None of the children looked anything like her. There was a lot of resemblance to their father but nothing to suggest she was their mother. She _wasn't _their mother. She had nothing to do with them at all. She didn't belong here.

Later that night when everyone had gone to bed, Tosh stayed through in the kitchen. She sat quietly with her PDA, using it to phone Jack. All she heard on the line was a very strange automated message begging for Jack's help. She thought with a horrible leap of her heart that maybe it was one of the team calling out. Owen? Gwen? Ianto? She didn't know. The voice on the line was the same automated woman's voice she heard whenever a call couldn't be connected. Someone was in trouble.

She looked at her PDA in her hand and checked the Rift monitor and she gasped as she saw it was off the scale. Something inside the Rift was causing problems and causing higher Rift activity. She frowned slightly as she looked at the readings. It was like something was living inside the Rift. She looked at a complicated chart measuring various factors in the Rift and was startled to find that there was some sort of life force in there. She wished she had her laptop to check it out properly.

* * *

"Doctor Harper, can you help her?" the young girl asked anxiously after Owen had given the woman a quick check over, cautious in case the infection should spread. He knew everyone should stay away. The young girl watched his movements carefully. She'd clearly pinned all her hopes on Owen and he didn't want to say anything because he'd have to let her down. She really believed he'd be able to help her and he knew himself that he wouldn't really be able to.

"I..." he said uselessly as he placed a hand on the woman's head, checking her temperature. "You're going to have to stay away from her to stop the infection spreading," he said eventually. Gordon's eyes widened in keen interested but also deep pity for the young girl.

"What? You mean we have to isolate her?" she whispered hoarsely. Her mother was deeply unconscious and was unaware of the conversation going on above her.

"Yes," Owen said weakly. He didn't know how to handle this. If only she was in the twenty-first century. There was a course of antibiotics that could make her better. The illness could be cured and the young girl wouldn't have to go through all the pain off watching her mother slowly die. Her mother wouldn't have to suffer as she died as her lungs collapsed. "I'm sorry."

"No! I'll never leave her!" the girl growled dangerously, "You can't make me leave her! She needs me!"

"We can take her to an isolated ward in the hospital," Gordon suggested looking at Owen in a bid to be helpful. The doctor nodded in agreement but the girl was clearly against the idea.

She shook her head, "Don't take her away from us. Let me at least speak to my father."

Owen nodded, "Alright. But please, try to keep contact to a minimum." He knew he'd handled it wrong. He knew he should insist on isolation but somehow he couldn't bring himself to put the poor girl through that. She didn't deserve that. He could at least let her see her mother if nothing else. But he was wrong. He was letting the disease spread! Gordon was heading to the door and Owen followed quietly, still arguing with his own conscience.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Guess what! I got a Grade One pass at History! That's the top Grade at Standard Grade, in case you don't know! Thank you for all your support!**

* * *

"Torchwood!" read the message on Martha Jones' computer screen. She frowned slightly in confusion and then looked over the rest of the email curiously. There was nothing much else to see. She'd just got the message through a few minutes ago and it left her with a lot of unanswered questions. Something had happened at Torchwood, clearly. It was an automated message, it hadn't been sent by any of the team.

She flicked through her start menu on the computer and opened a large file on the codes and procedures in UNIT. She typed in the password and then opened then scanned through the document. She found the section on the Torchwood Institute and read it carefully. She read the Cardiff branch was currently under the command of one Captain Jack Harkness. She knew this already. She kept reading about codes and protocols in the Hub and frowned.

It was a small article about a device that the team at the Hub were supposedly researching. It was meant to send an alert to UNIT if something happened to the team. When nobody signed into the Hub computers after a certain period of time, an alert would be sent to UNIT. So, were the team in danger?

She loaded up the Rift readings for Cardiff city. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. The Rift activity was far too high to be counted as normal. She bit her lip as she thought it through. She'd have to go to the Hub and look around. Maybe then she could find some clues as to what had happened.

* * *

_Captain Jack Harkness, _

_I'm sorry if you dont recognise the name: Gwen Cooper. If you don't, I've probably got the wrong person. I just heard you were out fighting and I wanted to let you know I'm here. _

_Reply soon, I'll write again then. Love you Jack._

_Gwen Cooper. _

Jack looked at the letter and felt his heart leap. Gwen was nearby! She was back in Britain, but at least she was in the same time as him. He smiled and allowed himself a moment of hope. He could find her. She wasn't far away. He'd spent three days in the trenches already and it was beginning to wear him down already.

The sounds of the guns tore at his heart all the time and he wanted nothing more than to run away and hide. Of course, he never would. He was too strong for that. He'd carry on fighting until he couldn't fight any longer. Giving up wasn't an option.

But now he was beginning to wonder how he could get out of the trenches without hurting the rest of the men at his command. How would they feel if their leader gave up on them? They would hate him. They would think he was a coward. They wouldn't have anybody to believe in and in times like these, that's what people needed. Every soldier needed something to believe in. Someone to trust. Anyone.

And he was about to leave them. He had to, hadn't he? The Torchwood team needed him. They'd all been affected by the time-shift. Well, Gwen and Ianto had anyway. He didn't know about Owen and Tosh. Well, he'd find Gwen and then he'd figure out what to do next.

"Gas!" came a sudden shout. Jack blinked, startled by the shout. His reaction was almost instantaneous. There was a flurry of action up and down the muddy, wet trench. Men were pulling out gas masks and pulling them over their heads. The material was scratchy and he immediately began to feel claustrophobic. It resembled a bag with transparent windows to see out of. He would have to wear it until the gas cleared. He jumped out of the trench quickly and flattened himself on the ground. It was safer here.

The gas was heavier than air so it sank into hollows. It would be much more dangerous to stay in the trench.

"Harry! No!" came a sudden muffled scream. Jack's squinted to see who was shouting. It was Timothy. Someone else was still struggling out of the trench, no gas mask on his face. Jack's heart sank. Gas was a killer. A real killer. The boy would die unless Jack did something.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Sorry, had other stuff to work on for school. I was so hoping for a school snow closure but didn't get one - it keeps raining on my snow! **

* * *

Jack lept to his feet and dashed across the muddy lip of the trench to where Timothy was tugging at the other boy's hand. Jack wrenched off his own gas mask and pulled it on over the young boy's head. The gas was approaching like a phantom on the horizon and his heart was racing. He dragged the boy out of the trench and then smiled apologetically at the pair of them.

"I'm sorry boys," he whispered. And then he ran.

* * *

Martha walked confidently into the small tourist office she knew as Torchwood's disguise. It was completely deserted and she sighed. This might be complicated. She set about searching for a way to open the circular doorway into the Hub. She'd seen Ianto do it before but she struggled to remember. There was a button somewhere. She rummaged around the desk looking for it anxiously.

Eventually her hand ran across it under the desk. She pressed it and smiled as the cog door rolled open. She strode into the Hub purposefully. "Jack? Jack, are you there?" she called.

No answer. She frowned. The Hub was totally empty. There was nobody in sight. She didn't know the rest of the team but she had been pretty sure _somebody _would be around. Instead everything was deserted. She walked around looking for some clue as to where everyone had gone but she found nothing. Then she noticed a workstation filled with computers and flashing alerts. She walked over to it curiously and looked at the first large screen.

"Rift Emergency! Rift Emergency! Rift Emergency!" it blinked over and over again. Martha reached out and clicked a link at the side of the alert and studied the set of data that showed on the screen. It was Rift readings, but she'd seen them already in U.N.I.T. She read over it again and sighed. Nothing had changed. The readings were far off the scale and the deviation from normal was beyond belief.

She glanced at another computer screen and found an incoming email alert. She clicked on it and read the email. It was from Ianto Jones to Toshiko Sato. Her hand shot over her mouth as she read it carefully. "_Help me! Please! God, it hurts! Please...? Someone? Anyone. I can't do this much longer. It hurts so much! I can't do this anymore! But I don't want to die! Help me. Please, help me. Quickly. Please..._

She decided then that whatever happened she'd need to help Torchwood. There was evidently a problem and they couldn't sort it out. She glanced back at the Rift readings and sighed. Where should she start? She looked around helplessly before sitting down heavily at the computer. She opened up the Internet and searched for the Cardiff news headlines. Maybe she'd get a lead from there.

The first link that came up was telling her about all the phone networks being intercepted. No calls could get through because they were all put through to voicemail. Martha pulled out her own mobile and dialled her brother's number. The automated message rang in her head and she didn't even listen to it. She cancelled the call and dropped her phone on to the desk and continued reading. The article said all the phone wires were perfectly fine and all the companies were struggling to find out what the cause of the disruption was.

The next story she read was about the unexpected weather. There were thunderstorms rolling in and torrential rain was already iminent. The earlier schedule had been for bright sunshine and clouds. Martha bit her lip as she thought about this information. What did that mean? Something in the atmosphere had changed quite drastically. Her guess was that it was related to the Rift in space and time but she couldn't be certain. She'd just have to tread carefully and think this through.

* * *

He was screaming. All he could do was scream. The world was empty and blank. There was nobody to hear him. Nothing was there to stop him from hurting. He'd never wanted to see Owen Harper more in his life. Maybe he could make it better. Maybe Owen could help. "Owen! Help me! Please? Owen, it hurts!" Ianto cried. He didn't even know what he was shouting. It was like he had no control over his body. As soon as he thought something, he was shouting about it. But still, nobody heard him.

* * *

The troops would survive the gas attack, but Jack wouldn't without a mask. He couldn't be seen to come back to life in a hospital either. People would just ask questions then and he didn't need that. So he ran. He ran from the bombs and the slaughter. He ran from a world where men were used as puppets to fight someone else's battle. For normal people, they were fighting because higher powers had come into conflict. Sure, it was their country too but how many of them actually wanted to be there? The tears had all been in their eyes when they'd received letters from home. Home was where they should be. They shouldn't be out here on a killing field. This was wrong. This was all wrong.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Thanks to all reviewers! You make my life so much better. Thank you.**

* * *

Owen rubbed his head agitatedly. He could feel a headache coming on as he sat down at his hospital desk in his office. He'd discovered he was a pretty senior member of staff and he'd insisted he needed to go and write up some reports so had been left alone. His student had gone of to bother somebody else for a while and it was nice to have a moment to himself.

He buried his head in his hands and sighed. He was lost in time and he had no idea how to get back. He was stuck in a time where diahorrea could kill someone. It was treatable in the twenty first centuary and it was something that rarely took the lives of people. In the twenty first centuray people know how to take care of themselves and many of these illnesses were gone. There was a better awareness of healthy eating and living. It made one heck of a difference to the world. Okay, so not everything was curable but it was much better than the hell he was trapped in now. He was faced with things he had little experience with and he hadn't the equipment he needed to make things better.

He tried to work through what had happened in his head and came up with nothing. All he could remember was being by the water with Tosh and Gwen. Then he was here. But the team would find him soon. They _had _to.

"Doctor Harper?" came a voice as the door was opened slowly.

"Yes?" Owen said, trying to sound as if he was perfectly okay.

"There's been a few more deaths in the isolated wards," Gordon said sadly slipping into the office.

"How many?"

"Three," Gordon replied, "Mrs Hunter, Mr Samson and Mrs Thomas."

Owen sighed, "Right."

"Are you alright, Doctor?" Gordon asked, frowning slighly as Owen ran his hands through his hair in despair.

Owen nodded weakly, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just need... I just need. Oh I dunno. I'll be fine."

Gordon seemed unconvinced.

* * *

Jack waited out the gas attack in a deserted trench far away from the front line. The gas hadn't reached there yet and he felt safe enough - or as safe as it was possible to feel in the trenches. He didn't know how much longer he could cope with this. It was all getting to be too much. He'd been here before and he still hated it. He shied away from the memories of wars he'd already fought in and tried to think only of Gwen. She was nearby. In England. It said so on the adress on the back of the note. He'd have to get back there and find her.

He pulled her note out of his coat and read it over again. She said she loved him. Really? He shut his eyes and rested his head against the muddy trench wall and sighed. She was an amazing woman; couragous and strong and he did love her. He really did. That's why he had to get back to her. Together they had more chance of finding the rest of the team. Alone they were left floundering in time with nothing to hold on to. He could live through the years and eventually make it back to Cardiff in the twenty first century but Gwen, Ianto, Owen and Tosh couldn't. Normal humans couldn't live that long.

He jumped as he heard the shells going off again. They were being attacked again. He covered his ears and tried to block out the sound. Suddenly he had an idea and his stomach clenched. He couldn't do it, could he? But if it was the only way to get back to Gwen he might have to. He had to get himself sent back to England to find her.

He pulled out his gun.

* * *

"I'm so sorry Gwen," said Clara softly as she put her arms around Gwen.

"Yeah," Gwen mumbled numbly. She couldn't believe what had happened. She felt hollow and numb and nothing was making sense to her any more. She let the telegram fall to the floor. Rhys was dead. He wasn't even _her _Rhys but it still hurt. He was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Yay! Midterm means more updates!**

* * *

He had to escape. He had to get out. He needed to be free. He couldn't stay here. He had to run away from the pain. He needed someone to help him. He needed... He needed.

* * *

Tosh curled up on the bed alone in the afternoon. She could feel a bruise forming over her eye from where he'd hit her. Tears threatened to flow again and she blinked them back resentfully. The man whom thought he was her husband was a drunkard. She hated him with a passion but she was also frightened of him. He would spend most of his weeks wages on drink at the pub and then expected her to manage to feed the family on what little they had left. When she confronted him, he fot violent and abusive. She'd learnt it was safer to say nothing.

All the neighbours looked on her with pity in their eyes and she hated that. But at least they cared. She'd come to make good friends with a quiet woman down the street - Isabell, she was called. They often helped each other out when it was needed. Once, Isabell gave Tosh an armfull of clothes her son had grown out of. She was grateful for the little gestures that made a hard life slightly easier.

She just wished she could go home.

* * *

Martha looked around the Hub feeling annoyingly useless. She couldn't figure out what she should do to help the Torchwood team and it was frustrating. All she knew was that someone was stuck inside the Hub. She been studying the readings and scanners and was certain something was living in it. She sighed, trying to come to some sort of plan of action. She had to get whoever was in the Rift out. Not knowing whether they were dangerous or not could be a problem though. She guessed it was just a risk she'd have to take.

Absently, she loaded up a program on the computer. It was some sort of mobile-phone tracking device. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she looked at what it was she'd found. At a panel on the side of the screen were four names and mobile numbers. She selected the first one and smiled in satisfaction. "Torchwood Officer: Owen Harper" it read. She read through the list of options that had come up with his name. She clicked on one that said "Locate". It seemed like a long wait but eventually the computer flashed up a red dot on a map of Scotland.

Glasgow. That was miles and miles away! How the hell had he gotten there? She searched through the other three names on the list: Toshiko Sato, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones. Toshiko was pinpointed in Glasgow, Scotland too. Maybe they were all there?

She was proved wrong when Gwen turned up in London. It looked like they'd all been split up. Finally, she searched for Ianto Jones. He didn't show up on the map.

"Error! Error!" screamed the computer information box. She bit her lip. Ianto Jones was out of the computers search. The worrying thing was that the computer searched the whole globe. Ianto Jones? Stuck in the time Rift? Well, it was possible.

* * *

Late that evening, Owen returned to his office after a long day on the wards. People died every day here. He tried so hard to save them but nothing ever worked. They died anyway. At least, that's how he saw it. It was hard to focus on the people who lived when so many died every day. They died of stupid things - things that _should _be curable. The problem was that people were much too poor to be able to pay for a healthy diet and they got sick because of it.

Gordon appeared. Again. Owen groaned and wished he would just get lost for a while. "What?" he snapped.

"Emergency. Some lady's been stabbed," Gordon said, eyes wide. It was clear the young man had never experienced anything like that before. Owen sighed and followed him out of the hospital again. There was a young boy standing at the office ready to lead the way to the injured woman.

Nothing could have prepared the yound Torchwood doctor for what he saw when he got to the old tenement. Tosh.

* * *

Ianto Jones screamed in inexplicable pain.

And that's when the storm started. That's when the sky lit up.


	12. Chapter 12

****

Author's Note: Nearly finished this story now. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

"Tosh?" Owen urged, shaking the young woman's shoulder anxiously, "Come _on_!" She was lying on the floor in the kitchen, a bloody knife lying beside her. There were tears in her eyes and she looked frightened. Owen felt his stomach knot and tried to remain calm. This wasn't just another person he didn't know. This was Tosh and he... He cared about her.

"You know her?" Gordon asked, wide eyed.

"Yes," Owen snarled as he pressed his hands down on the bloody area in Tosh's left side. "You put pressure on that, Gordon," he demanded grabbing Gordon's wrist with his left hand and placing it where his hand had been seconds before.

"Got it," Gordon said, aware that Owen was more worried than he usually was.

They didn't realise that, outside, the sky was glowing.

* * *

A few years ahead of Owen, Gwen Cooper looked up at the sky and felt her jaw drop. The very clouds were glittering like diamonds and the sky had gone a grey/blue colour. She stared at it in confusion. What the hell was going on? Then she heard a knock on the door and she jumped, having been preoccupied by the phenomenon in the heavens.

She walked quickly to the door of the house and flung it open, "Jack!"

He stood on her doorstep with a big grin on his face, looking practically the same as he always did. His eyes were somewhat darker and more troubled than usual but his smile was still there. Still familiar. His hands were in his pockets casually. "Hello Gwen."

"Oh, Jack," she said, flinging her arms around him and holding him tight. He laughed and hugged her back, spinning her around. She pulled back slightly and looked at him, "I missed you."

"Me too," he said.

"How did you get here?" she asked curiously, "I thought you were out in the trenches!"

"Got shot, taken to hospital, hid in the loo, died, came back before they noticed I was gone, ran like hell," was all he said. He clearly didn't want to linger on the subject.

Rhys wrote and-." She broke off, a lump in her throat.

Jack looked concerned and glancing around, he noticed the telegram stuck in the window, "I'm sorry," he whispered as he hugged her again. "He's not your Rhys though."

"I know," she sighed, burying her head in his shoulder, "It's just he sounded so much like him."

"I know," Jack said softly holding her close, "We're going to get home though." He pulled out his wrist strap and showed her. "Look, the Rift is opening. Some thing's happening. There's nothing I can do from here but we're going to have to wait. Look at the sky, isn't it beautiful?"

"I guess so," she agreed. She thought it was bloody terrifying.

"It should take us home," he said smiling, "I just know it will."

If Jack could believe it, so could she.

* * *

Martha watched in amazement. The Rift was opening right in front of her. The sky outside was alight with colours in every shade. She caught her breath as she stood out on the bay and watched. It really was beautiful. She just hoped it was going to bring the Torchwood team back. She couldn't think of any thing she could do to help.

Then came the thunder.


	13. Chapter 13

****

Author's Note: Dedicated to Lady Clark, for her birthday. Sorry it's late! Hope you had a great day!

* * *

Ianto woke with a start. He felt perfectly calm and at ease. He groaned slightly as he opened his eyes and pushed himself up on to his elbows. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts and then sat up on his knees. Looking around, he saw very welcome and very familiar sights. He was in the Hub. The computers were on and blinking as they always did.

Then he realised he wasn't in pain anymore. He laughed nervously as he stood up. He could breathe properly again. He felt fine. He flexed his fingers and shook himself a bit. Everything seemed to be in working order. It was going to be alright.

"Jack?" he called out tentatively. No answer. He looked around, worried. "Jack?"

* * *

The light was near blinding. Owen winced and shielded his eyes.

"Anything wrong, Doctor Harper?" Gordon asked anxiously. He seemed oblivious to the light.

"Can't you see it?" Owen asked, raising his eyebrow curiously as he held Tosh's hand tightly.

"See what?"

Owen frowned slightly, "Nothing." Maybe it'd be best for him to say nothing. Surely he was halucinating? He shook his head slightly. Hallucinating? How? There was no way he could be imagining the intensity of the light. He could barely see anymore.

"Owen?" Tosh whispered breathlessly, "What's happening? The light... Is this death?" She seemed confused and a little lost. She clutched at Owen's hand desperatly and she looked frightened.

"You're not going to die!" Owen insisted, squinting to see Tosh in the bright light. Everything was quickly fading again. It was the same sort of light that had brought him to Glasgow, and he was nervous but excited. He hoped desperatly the light meant he was going home.

* * *

"What's happening Jack?" Gwen asked as she held Jack's hand tightly. The light was so bright it made her shut her eyes but she could still see it. It was the same as it had been when she'd arrived here, the light was almost a pain in her head. It stifled her thoughts and made it hard to focus.

"I think we're going home," Jack whispered quietly. Gwen could almost sense the excited grin on his face. Soon they'd be back in Cardiff and she could see Rhys again. He'd be alright. He wouldn't be hurt. Everything would be fine.

"Thank God," Gwen sighed as she fell into the silence. It was difficult to feel afraid this time. It was surely going to bring her back home. How could she fear home?

* * *

"Who are you?" Martha asked as she hurried back inside the Hub to shelter from the now pounding rain. There was a young man in a suit standing staring at her, looking confused.

"I could ask you the same thing," Ianto said.

"Martha Jones," she introduced herself, sighing. "And you are?"

"Ianto Jones," he replied eventually, "What you doing here? You shouldn't know about this place."

Martha studied him for a moment. So this was the man that had been trapped in the Rift. He was the one that she couldn't locate. "I'm from UNIT. I'm a friend of Jack's."

"Where is Jack?" Ianto asked helplessly.

"In England," Martha replied, frustrated.

"How?" Ianto demanded, "He was in the SUV outside the…" He frowned. He couldn't' remember where he'd been before he'd… before what? Before he'd woken up on the Hub floor? Something was really wrong. He sighed. He just needed to find Jack.


	14. Chapter 14

****

Author's Note: I know this isn't a great chapter, I'm really busy right now. I have exams in about nine weeks and I have a NAB tomorrow. Away to revise now, but I wanted to upload something for you, because you're all such great people, and I'm forever grateful for your support with this story!

* * *

Ianto logged on to Owen's computer and swung on the chair, immpatienly while the computer sat "loading your personal settings". When it finally displayed the "Welcome Ianto Jones!" message Tosh had installed, he clicked open his email. Surely he'd find details of the latest mission there. Somebody usually emailed around the details of the case. It meant they all had access to the information.

As he'd predicted, he found an email from Gwen in his inbox. Opening it, he scanned it quickly. There were sets of co-ordinates listed and various locations marked on a scanned in map of Cardiff. He frowned as he read the details. One of the marked locations was at a small park, the other at a local primary school.

"_C'mon Ianto!" Jack had laughed, "It'll be fun! You and me... An empty school... Dangerous levels of Rift activity..." Jack's bouyant expressioin had falttered slightly as he thought more about the fact that they were actually going to do an investigation. _

_"We can always enjoy ourselves afterwards," Ianto had shrugged after he got into the SUV beside the Captain. "So, we're going to check out the basement of a primary school?"_

_"No, it's better than that!" Jack had grinned, "We're going to check out an abandoned tunnel under the school! Nobody really knows it's there."_

"The old school!" Ianto announced, suddenly coming back to his senses. He could remember everything. He'd been walking down a dark corridor with a flashlight. Jack had been talking to him over the intercom and then he'd seen something - the light. It was blinding. Then he found himself in the most indescribable pain he could imagine.

Martha was by his side at once, "What?"

"That's where I was! When the light came, that's where I was. In a tunnel under an old school," Ianto explained quickly. His hands raced over the keyboard on the computer as he searched for a photo of the school to show Martha.

"D'you think we should go there?" she asked as she looked at the picture Ianto was showing her. It was an old Victorian-style building. It would be a good idea to have a look around there to see if there was any evidence as to what had happened. It had to be more than a freak Rift spike, surely?

"Probably a good plan," Ianto agreed.

"I'll go start the car then," Martha said hurrying out of the Hub. The storm was raging outside when she stepped out of the tourist office. The winds were howling with force enough to bend trees. There were small streams gushing along the streets. Driving, Martha thought, was going to be difficult.

Ianto looked stared in stunned disbelief at the weather conditions. "This might be harder than I thought," he said quietly shrugging on a waterproof jacket before following Martha outside to her car.

* * *

She couldn't feel Owen beside her anymore and that frightened her. Tosh bit her lip and tried to hold back the panicked tears. She didn't know where the hell she was and she hated feeling so lost. The light was familiar but it was still terrifying. She just wished Owen could hold her hand.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I'm off school sick, so I wrote you a nice long chapter! This is the penultimate chapter now. **

* * *

The rain drove into the windscreen wth terrifying force. Martha drove her car forward along the roads through Cardiff while Ianto sat with the laptop, trying to locate Jack and the others. He pulled out his mobile and flicked through the contacts in search of the Captain's number. He held the phone to his ear on loud speaker so he could hear over the pounding rain.

"Your call cannot be connected," came the metallic voice. Ianto sighed. He guessed the wind had brought down the line or something. The message repeated a few times and he was just about to hang up when it changed, "We're going home..." It was still the automated voice but this wasn't something it usually said.

"What?" Ianto breathed, his brow furrowing in confusion as he tried to figure out the mystery behind the message. Could it be one of the team? He didn't want to let himself hope.

"Who is it?" Martha asked, not looking away from the road.

"Dunno," Ianto said holding the phone to her ear so she could hear the repeated message. She shrugged.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Ianto suddenly pointed to a street on the left. "There! That's where it is. Up there!"

Martha swung the car around and sped up the little street. It was a struggle to keep the vehicle in a straight line as they skidded over puddles on the road. The school was in sight at the top of the street. "What are we actually looking for?" Martha asked.

"I think we should go back into the tunnel where I first saw the light" Ianto replied, peering out of the window as they drove into the school carpark. The black Torchwood SUV was still parked haphazardly across three parking spaces.

"Good idea," Martha agreed, stopping beside the SUV and opening the door. Ianto followed suite and they ran past the empty SUV to the school. "Where's the tunnel?" Martha called over the force of the rain. Her hair was blowing across her face and she held it back irritably. They were already soaked.

"Under that man-hole cover," Ianto said, pointing to the circular metal cover on the pavement. He dropped down beside it and tugged it open before sliding inside, anxious to get out of the rain. Martha jumped down after him. There was just enough room to stand. The Welshman activated his phone and they followed what little light it gave. "It's not far. I'd only gone twenty metres or so," Ianto whispered, looking around anxiously. Then they heard the soft bleeping sound, almost like a radar. They looked at each other for a moment before carrying on, listening intently.

They walked in silence until Martha cried out and grabbed hold of Ianto's arm. "On the ground! There!" she cried kneeling down on the floor for a closer look while Ianto shone the light from his mobile on to the area. They saw a small black box. It was unremarkable, really, but there was something suspicious about it. Ianto reached out carefully and picked it up. It felt warm to touch and he frowned, puzzled. All he could tell was that it was the source of the beeping.

"What is it?" Martha breathed, kneeling down beside him and looking at it. Ianto turned it over and examined it in the dim light from his phone. There were small lights along the side of it. Then he spotted the countdown timer. Ten seconds... Nine seconds. A bomb? It certainly didn't look like any bomb he'd ever seen.

"Run!" he yelled, dropping it to the ground and leaping to his feet again. "Martha, run!"

She jumped up and sprinted back and scrambled back along the corridor the way they'd come. She didn't need to go far before she reached the hole back out to the carpark. Ianto lifted Martha up and helped her out of the corridor through the hole above them in to the pounding rain outside. Four seconds... Three seconds. He reached up and grabbed the side of the hole and pulled himself up, the rain continuing to soak him as it had done earlier. One second...

Then the rain just stopped. Martha and Ianto whom had been hurrying back towards the SUV skidded to a halt. There was no explosion as Ianto had expected. The winds died down instantly. There was no movement in the trees whatsoever. Everything was still. The sun was shining brightly again. They exchanged puzzled glances. "Maybe it wasn't a bomb?" Ianto whispered.

"Argh!" came a pained cry from behind the SUV. Ianto and Martha sprinted the last few metres to the vehicle. Ianto couldn't help but smile, he'd recognise the sound of that voice anywhere.

"Jack!" he cried as he saw the Captain lying sprawled on the tarmac of the car park. Jack winced slightly and pushed himself into a sitting position. There was a small trail of blood dripping from his nose. Ianto looked worried, "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jack nodded before freezing abruptly, his hand shooting to his forehead. "Makes you dizzy, time travel."

Ianto smiled and handed Jack a tissue for his nose, "I'm glad you're back."

Jack grinned as he wiped his nose, "I'm glad to see you again. And next time, remind me not to fall face first on to pavements."

"Good to see you again Jack," Martha said, speaking for the first time since they'd found the Captain.

"Martha Jones!" Jack smiled, "What brings you here?"

"You did, Jack. You and you're team getting lost," she said rolling her eyes slightly. It _would _be Torchwood that cause all the problems.

Jack's eyes suddenly turned anxious, "Where's Gwen? She was right with me when the light came!" Ianto pulled out his mobile and dialed Gwen's number.

"Hello?" came her distinct Welsh accent.

"Gwen, it's Ianto. Where are you?"

"Ianto! Oh my God, Ianto. We're at the park. Where we were before... God, Ianto, can you get here now? Is Jack with you? It's Tosh, she's hurt!" she babbled.

"Hurt? How? Have you phoned an ambulance?" Ianto demanded, while Jack and Martha watched, worry written all over their faces.

"Yes, they're on their way. Owen's trying to help her. She's bleeding, Ianto. She's been stabbed," Gwen said urgently and fearfully. "Is Jack there? Wait, here's the ambulance now!"

"Yes, he's here. We'll meet you at the hospital, Gwen. You go with Owen and Tosh," Ianto said before hanging up the phone and relaying the situation to Jack and Martha. "Someone should go back and pick up the thing in the corridor so we can look at it. Whatever it was, it affected the Rift," he added.

"I'll go get it, I'll see you at the hospital," Martha said getting to her feet and hurrying back towards the open hole in the car park.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Thank you, everyone, for being so supportive whether you're a reviewer, someone who's favourited or alerted this or just a reader. It really means a lot to me that you've kept reading and that you enjoy my writing. So, big thanks to all of you! Oh, and I hope you all had a great Red Nose Day yesterday! Did you see David Tennant presenting the first part? It was super. **

* * *

Ianto drove the SUV towards the hospital as quickly as he could. He didn't trust Jack's driving; the Captain was erratic enough at the best of times but after having hit his head on the ground falling from the sky? He didn't want to risk it. Much to the older man's irritation.

The young Welshman marvelled at how clear the skies were now. The roads were soaked and some drains were flooded but there was a strange sense of calm in the city. He swerved to dodge a fallen tree and sighed. A few hours of wild Rift activity could cause no end of damage in Cardiff. How long would it be before something happened and the whole city was destroyed? He didn't want to know the answer to that really.

His thoughts turned back to Toshiko. How had she got injured? What had happened to her? Had they all been sent in to the silence too? Is that where Jack had been? "Jack?" he probed eventually, unable to keep his questions to himself.

"Yeah?" Jack looked at the other man.

"What happened to you?"

"What d'you mean?" Jack asked, not keen to answer the question.

"I mean, where did you go? When the light started?" Ianto clarified.

"I was a long, long way from here," Jack said looking out of the window with a lost expression on his face.

"Where though, Jack?" Ianto insisted. He didn't want any more cryptic half-answers from the man he loved dearly - the man he called for when he thought all wanted there when he thought he was going to die.

"In the trenches. World War One," Jack said, his eyes glazing over. He started to explain the whole story to Ianto, unable to keep it to himself any more.

_He'd never forget the looks of desertain that came across the men's faces when he told them he was going to die. He lay in a hospital bed surrounded by screaming wounded men, and shut his eyes against the nightmare. The men from his troop had come to visit him after the gas attack was over and he'd told them he wouldn't be back to the trenches. He'd said he'd been shot by the enemy as he'd run away from the gas. He couldn't tell them he shot himself. But one the other hand, it didn't seem fair to blame the Germans whom were just the same as them really. _

_"You won't die, Captain!" Timothy said holding his hand tightly, "We need you!" _

_"You don't. You're a fine soldier, Latimer, you'll do fine by yourself," Jack whispered, his throat dry. _

_"You won't die," Timothy insisted. _

_"Sorry, Timothy," Jack sighed. _

_Later on, when they were on their own, Timothy looked seriously at the Captain before speaking, "You're not from around here, are you?"_

_"Sorry?" Jack frowned, puzzled._

_"You're not from Britain, are you Captain? You've got the same look in your eyes as a man who once taught me," Timothy said with a contemplative expression. _

_"Really? Who?" Jack said, intrigued._

_"The Doctor. I knew him mainly as John Smith, though. He was my head teacher__..." So Timothy knew the Doctor. _

When the pair eventually arrived at the hospital, they found Owen practically skipping with relief. "She's going to be okay," he said, smiling at Jack and Ianto as they came in. "She's being treated now. But they've pretty much sorted it."

"Thank God," Jack sighed grinning.

It wasn't long before Martha arrived carrying a Tesco carrier bag containing the black box they'd found in the tunnel. While sitting in the canteen waiting for Tosh, the team watched as Jack turned it over in his hands.

"What is it?" Owen wanted to know.

"It's a Rift manipulator," Jack said slowly with a smile of recognition, "I've seen one before. It's like the one we have, only smaller and much more advanced. It came from another dimension. They use this sort of thing to go back in time for research. They swap places with someone from that time for a set amount of time. The person they've switched with is trapped in the Rift for that time. This thing must have fallen through the Rift."

"Don't they damage the Rift every time they do that?" Gwen asked, puzzled.

"They maybe have it all much more controlled than we do this side of the Rift. Funny how they can be so similar to us, but still so different," Jack said thoughtfully slipping the manipulator back into the carrier bag.

"Just like our history," Owen said, "It's very different to how we live now."

"Yeah, definitely," Jack agreed, "That's what's so special about you lot. You're always advancing and changing."

Gwen nodded. She was just glad to be home, back where she belonged - it's where they all belonged. She was meant to be in Cardiff in the twentieth century and if she were anywhere else she'd be lost - lost in time.


End file.
